A mysterious green glow has been detected on Jupiter

The Juno spacecraft has captured the first-ever bright green flash near Jupiter’s north pole. The phenomenon was moving so quickly that it was only captured by the extreme precision of the JunoCam camera. Scientists have not yet reached a consensus on the nature of this unusual emission.

Since its mission began in 2016, Juno has been studying Jupiter, and a recent image of the green glow has become one of the most discussed. JunoCam captured the sudden flash during its flyby of the gas giant’s north pole. According to NASA, the object was moving at an impressive speed, making the image unique. The appearance of the glow has sparked numerous hypotheses, ranging from familiar atmospheric processes to more unusual explanations.

The most common theory attributes the phenomenon to powerful Jupiterian lightning. Enormous electrical discharges form on Jupiter, caused by clouds containing mixtures of water and ammonia. Such lightning is tens of times stronger than that found on Earth and can produce a glow of various colors.

However, alternative hypotheses also exist. Some researchers believe the green hue may be due to the glow of gases in the upper atmosphere interacting with charged particles.

The main question remains: was this flash a rare event, or is it a common phenomenon that had previously gone undetected due to its extremely short duration?

Scientists are awaiting future Juno flybys to gather additional information and understand the nature of the mysterious glow on the largest planet in the Solar System.

As a reminder, we previously reported that living organisms can survive in outer space.

To be continued…